Kanye West moves to obtain famed ‘Red October’ shoe trademark

Kanye West wants to claim the trademark to his Red October shoes, the final ones he designed for Nike before his switch to Adidas.

Kanye and Nike bosses fell out in 2013 after a dispute over royalty payments and the delayed release of the Air Yeezy 2 Red October sneakers – which only arrived in shops after he announced a deal, reported to be worth at least $10 million with their German rivals.

According to U.S. Trademark and Patent Office records, the rapper filed papers earlier this month (Feb18) with the aim of obtaining the rights to the name for use in selling footwear and clothing, including everything from T-shirts and coats to bras and babywear.

Kanye, 40, previously sought the Red October trademark in 2013, before releasing the original Nike shoes, but his application lay dormant until he officially abandoned it in December (17) – only to refile months later.

The limited numbers of Red Octobers released meant they became hot fashion items, with pairs selling for thousands of dollars on eBay.

Since teaming up with Adidas, Kanye has released six seasons of designs from his Yeezy brand, including wildly popular sneaker designs – and with his new trademark application he looks to be reclaiming the rights to one of his most iconic Nike designs.

Revealing why he severed ties with executives at the U.S. sports firm, Kanye told American radio host Angie Martinez that the birth of his daughter, North, four, had made him determined to seek out a better financial deal.

“The old me, without a daughter, would have taken the Nike deal because I just love Nikes so much,” he explained. “But the new me, with a daughter, takes the Adidas deal because I have royalties and I have to provide for my family.”

Kanye and his wife Kim Kardashian have since welcomed son Saint who was born in December 2015, and their third child, Chicago arrived via surrogate last month (18).